Petition: 21st Century RE for All

It’s time to take religious education in schools out of the hands of religious councils. Support a national entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religion and belief.

We want every pupil to have the same entitlement to high quality, non-partisan education about religion and belief. We think all schools should prepare young people for life in modern Britain by teaching pupils about the diversity of religious and non-religious worldviews.

We want to see an end to the arbitrariness and unfairness of local determination in Religious Education. Instead, we think religion and belief education should become part of the National Curriculum.

Education is a devolved issue. This petition is for the Department for Education (England) and the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Education. Our work on reform of religion and belief education in Scotland and Northern Ireland is seperate.

Would you like to receive Newsline – our free weekly roundup of news and opinion?

Yes

Would you like to receive local campaign updates?

Yes

A selection of petition signatures

"No school - especially those receiving funding from the state - should be permitted to teach about religion from their own exclusive viewpoint and the law should reflect this."

Martin from London

"I've already excused my children from GCSE RE because the RE teachers at my kids' school consistently set work presupposing a belief in God and invite Evangelical locals to the school to teach literal interpretations of the Bible. This has to stop."

A supporter from Burscough

"Because allowing local groups to determine the syllabus is unworkable. Most lack the knowledge and pedagogic skills (except the teachers) to be able to make any sensible recommendations. Most SACREs are heavily resistant to any form of secular or non-religious input."

As the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse turned its attention to the Catholic Church's archdiocese of Birmingham, Richard Scorer delivered the following opening statement on behalf of several...

Emma Park says Ian McEwan's book and the film it has inspired prompt the questions of what the state should do when a young person's religion conflicts with their welfare, and how this affects religious...